Falcons, Desmond Ridder take step back in 'ugly' 20-6 loss to Lions

DETROIT — For all the optimism surrounding the Falcons' 2-0 start, Sunday's 20-6 loss at the Lions brought back so many of the biggest questions from back in summer.

Why couldn't the Falcons defense generate any consistent pass rush against a short-handed Detroit offensive line?

Why can't Atlanta find a way to make good use of recent first-rounders Drake London and Kyle Pitts?

And is Desmond Ridder truly the answer for the Falcons at quarterback?

"Pretty much the story of the game was too many negative plays on early downs, which led to a lot of ugly offensive football," said head coach Arthur Smith, whose team didn't reach 100 yards of total offense until the third quarter, finishing with 183, the second-lowest total in his 37 games in Atlanta.

Detroit's defense harassed Ridder throughout the game, finishing with seven sacks, the most allowed by Atlanta in nearly three years, since the Saints had eight in a 2020 game. At the same time, even though the Lions were missing two starting offensive linemen and their leading rusher, the Falcons defense couldn't get to Lions quarterback Jared Goff, finishing with zero sacks.

"We didn't get on track, hardly at all," said Smith, whose offense opened the game 1-for-10 on third downs, four of those needing 14 yards or more to move the chains. "When you lose like that, there's not a lot to really feel great about. It's going to take all 11 of us."

The Falcons have been firmly behind Ridder as their quarterback, and he helped rally them to a comeback victory over the Packers last week for a 2-0 start. But Sunday didn't always show that confidence — in the third quarter, down 13-3 and at the Lions' 29 facing a third-and-6, Smith called a running play to Robinson rather than letting Ridder throw for a potential first down. Robinson was stopped for a 1-yard gain, and rather than go for it on fourth-and-5, the Falcons sent out kicker Younghoe Koo, who missed on a 46-yard field goal attempt.

Smith explained that call by saying he thought the Falcons were in two-down territory and would have gone for it if they'd fared better on the Robinson run. "Obviously I wouldn't have called it if I thought it was going to get 1 yard," Smith said. "The plan didn't work ... it clearly didn't work out."

Their only first down on the next three drives came on a Lions penalty, and they were down 17 by the time the Lions shifted into a prevent defense, allowing the Falcons to drive 76 yards — even then, down three scores and facing a fourth-and-goal from the 6, they again elected for a short Koo field goal, their final points of the night.

Ridder finished 21-for-38 for 201 yards, and the pressure he was under was unexpected, with offensive line among the Falcons' biggest strengths, but he said they shouldn't be blamed for Atlanta's offensive struggles.

"I'm not worried about those guys up front," Ridder said. "Those guys did a great job. I've got to get the ball out of my hands quicker, got to make better reads, things have to happen fast out there. All five of those guys, I love those guys. I wouldn't put it on them, more so myself."

And while the Falcons contended with the Lions' pass rush the entire game, Atlanta wasn't able to get to Goff for any sacks. That was a major concern entering the season — the Falcons had 23 fewer sacks than any other team in the 2021-22 seasons — and only four NFL teams had fewer sacks in the first two games than Atlanta's total of three.

Detroit had left tackle Taylor Decker and right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai inactive with injuries, and their replacement tackle, Matt Nelson, left the game with injury in the first half. Atlanta still had zero sacks in 33 dropbacks, and only three tackles for loss in Detroit's 64 offensive plays.

Even in their wins, the Falcons faced criticism about not getting the ball enough to two high-profile first-round picks in receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, both off to quiet starts. London caught a 28-yard pass in the first quarter, but didn't get another catch until the fourth quarter — he and Pitts had three catches at halftime. Even when they used them, there wasn't much production — facing a second-and-goal from the 12 late, Ridder threw to both, but got only 3 yards each time, leading to the Koo kick, London and Pitts finished with 15 targets, but those yielded only seven catches for 71 yards, less than 5 yards per attempt.

Asked about his confidence in Ridder being his quarterback, Smith said after the game that it's "still pretty high."

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The Falcons must bounce back quickly, as they now head to London for a Sunday game against the Jaguars, who have struggled in a 1-2 start, losing 37-17 on Sunday to a Texans team that had just three wins in their previous 21 games. The Falcons return home to face those Texans and then the Commanders, winnable games that could have them back on a positive track.

"It's everything, but it's all of us, starting with me," Smith said. "Thankfully, it's one game and we've got to get back to work tomorrow."

Greg Auman is FOX Sports' NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.